This invention relates, in general, to boat trailers and, in particular, to a boat trailer having an improved frame especially designed for hauling and storing a variety of boats of the type generally referred to as pleasure boats.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular uses being described, this invention relates to a boat trailer having a pivotal crossbar roller mounting system to maintain boats having a multitude of various hull configurations with effectiveness when loaded and which, in addition, facilitates loading and unloading of the trailer.
Boat trailers have achieved increasing popularity in recent years due to the convenience and mobility they provide for transporting and storing boats of various designs on land with the capacity of being launched and loaded from the water as desired. To achieve such versatility, it is well recognized that a boat trailer must securely support the boat and that the boat supporting elements on the trailer conform to the boat hull contour so that pressures exerted thereby are distributed and localized stress, which will result in damage to the hull, is avoided. Generally, such boat supporting elements are secured to crossbar members of the trailer frame to enable the boat supporting elements to be situated at desired positions laterally of the trailer.
Boat trailers in the past have required a cross frame support structure which rigidly connects the side booms of the trailer frame. While such rigid cross frame structure has been formed in both a straight and downwardly curved configuration, these rigid cross frame structures utilized in the prior art do not provide an optimum accommodation of various curvatures of the hulls of boats and are further deficient in the manner in which they position the boat supporting elements of the trailer, preventing the boat from being carried with its center of gravity close to the ground for increased stability. Moreover, the design of such rigidly connected frame-forming cross members often is hit by the hull of certain boats and interferes with loading and unloading. In addition, the prior art technique of attaching the cross members to the longitudinal side boom of a frame has not been wholly satisfactory from an aesthetic viewpoint with, for example, unsightly bulky attachment elements and protruding members being prevalent.